


Met Your Match

by obscureenthusiast



Series: softbutchtashayar's 400 follower celebration [5]
Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: ""drabble"", Gen, Tasha is a big ol' softie, and Ezri is a nervous wreck, and the author is a big nerd who was supposed to write a DRABBLE, especially since there might be a chapter 2, eventually, oh no, this is just a fic at this point
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-29
Updated: 2018-08-29
Packaged: 2019-07-04 02:12:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15831642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/obscureenthusiast/pseuds/obscureenthusiast
Summary: Starfleet command has some concerns about DS9's new counselor, so they send Deanna Troi to evaluate her. She, of course, brings her wife Tasha Yar with her. And Kira gets the chance to get to know her.





	Met Your Match

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for an anon for my 400 follower celebration on tumblr!! It is.... Much Longer than a drabble, but there was SO MUCH to be done with this concept I couldn't help myself. ^_^'

“It’s not just that it’s a Starfleet counselor! But why did they have to send _her_ of all people? I mean, I know _why_ , but… you know.”

Kira nodded along, allowing Ezri to talk as much as she wanted. It was useless to try to stop her when she was this worked up. Besides, they were on their way to the docking ring to meet the very woman Ezri was so nervous about, so it was better for her to get all this out of her head _now_ rather than when she met her.

Counselor Deanna Troi. Apparently she was rather famous in her own right, though Kira had only heard of her from… well, Lwaxana Troi. 

Not that Kira had ever been to Starfleet Academy or anything prestigious as that, so it could be that she simply didn’t have the motivation to keep up with Starfleet’s gossip.

But Deanna Troi _had_ been assigned to the Enterprise, the Federation’s flagship, so that had to count for something.

“I understand I wasn’t totally… _ready_ to get the Dax symbiote, but that doesn’t mean I’m not a good counselor! I’m a great counselor!” Ezri was continuing, “I… I mean I’m not _amazing_ but…”

Kira smiled a little and turned to the shorter woman as they stopped outside the correct airlock.

“Ezri,” she said, trying for a calming tone as she reached out and put her hands on Dax’s shoulders, “you’re gonna be just fine. You _are_ a great counselor and there’s no way you’re going anywhere.”

Ezri inhaled deeply and then huffed out a breath, her cheeks puffing as she closed her eyes, nodding.

“Right. Right!” she said, clearly attempting to sound more confident than she was, squaring her shoulders under Kira’s hands, “I’ll be fine!”

Despite her words, Ezri still looked completely nervous. Kira wished she could calm her down somehow… 

At that moment, the door opened and two women stepped out, one in the blue of Starfleet’s medical track and the other in the red of command. Kira let go of Ezri to greet the women with a smile.

The dark-haired woman in the blue uniform (Counselor Troi, Kira quickly surmised) eyed over Kira and Ezri as she walked through the door, and Kira couldn’t help but notice that she shared her mother’s black Betazoid eyes. Troi stepped forward quickly to introduce herself, her voice friendly, a smile tugging at her lips.

“Thank you for meeting us here, you must be Major Kira!” she said, reaching out to shake Kira’s hand. Then she looked to Ezri, her smile growing, “And Counselor Dax! It’s wonderful to meet you!”

Ezri smiled, her brows drawing together, “Mrs. um… Counselor Troi… ma’am it’s so… nice! Nice of you to come all this way! Uh, call me Ezri! If you want to, I… not that I _mind_ ‘Counselor Dax’ it’s just so formal and…” 

Ezri continued to babble and Kira only half-listened, turning her attention to the blond woman behind Counselor Troi. The woman had moved forward, as well, although her expression was somewhat more subdued than her companion’s. She looked over both Ezri and Kira quietly, comfortable with leaving Counselor Troi to do the talking, it seemed.

Kira felt her back stiffen under that gaze (and the sudden notice of the three gold pips on the woman’s collar). She hadn’t been told that there would be any Starfleet commanders travelling with the counselor.

Troi seemed to notice Kira looking at the other woman and quickly turned, putting a hand on the blond woman’s shoulder to guide her forward, saying quickly.

“I’m so sorry, where are my manners. This is Commander Natasha Yar, my wife.”

The commander smiled, the subdued mask cracking, her eyes looking to the floor almost sheepishly at her wife’s introduction, her grin barely contained as she corrected softly.

“Just Tasha is fine, I’m not here on official assignment.”

Ezri looked somehow paler than before, even at the assurance that Yar wasn’t here for Starfleet business. Her eyes widened to a degree that almost made Kira laugh.

“Oh!” Ezri said, choking a little and nodding fervently, wringing her hands in front of her, “Great, I’m… wow… that’s funny, you’re,” she gestured between Yar and Troi, laughing, “married! Wow!” She stopped, blinking and stifling her laughter with a cough, adding quickly, “Not that… it’s not _funny_ , it’s… no, of course it’s not funny, it’s just… Odd? No, not that. Um, just ignore everything I just said! I’m _so_ glad you’re both here!”

Before Ezri could dig herself in further (and just as Kira was ready to step in so the Trill could catch her breath), Counselor Troi smiled and spoke, in a voice that was simultaneously casual and calming.

“Ezri, I’m sure you were expecting my ‘evaluation’,” she smiled, rolling her eyes almost fondly, as if the doldrums of Starfleet protocol were a necessary bore, “to start immediately, but, frankly I am _starving_ and could use a bite to eat.” She glanced toward Commander Yar, frowning a little, “What about you, dear?”

Yar smiled and waved a hand dismissively, “I’m alright, you go on ahead. I’ll get our quarters sorted out.” She reached out and tapped the bag hanging from Counselor Troi’s shoulder, murmuring, “I can take that for you…”

Troi grinned and passed the bag over, leaning up on her toes to kiss her wife on the cheek, “Perfect gentleman.”

Yar laughed, and Kira could see a slight blush on her cheeks.

“Always, Ms. Troi.” The commander said, with a most un-commander-like giggle.

Counselor Troi turned back to Ezri with a smile, “I’m… afraid I don’t know my way around the station, I could use your help…” 

Ezri bobbed on her heels, nodding quickly and leading the way down the corridor. And Kira was _astounded_ to see her look… confident? Or at the very least, less nervous than she had been before. She supposed that showing someone where to find lunch was a bit less daunting than an evaluation… which, Kira also supposed, was exactly Counselor Troi’s goal.

As the other two left Kira and Commander Yar alone in front of the airlock, Kira cleared her throat a little and scratched at the back of her neck.

“Just, uh… follow me this way, commander,” Kira said, smiling.

The blond chuckled, shaking her head a little as they began walking, “Just Tasha is fine, like I said.”

Kira nodded, tilting her head, “Right. Tasha, then. You can call me Kira.” She hesitated a moment, before saying, looking at the other woman with raised eyebrows, “I’m gonna be honest, your Counselor Troi is quite the professional. I don’t know anyone besides the captain who was able to get Ezri’s frayed nerves under control. Usually when she’s nervous she’s just…” she laughed, gesturing vaguely, “all over the place.”

Tasha laughed outright, her eyebrows raising a little, “I got the feeling. But Dee… Deanna, I mean, she’s _very_ good.” She took a breath, her eyes shining with quiet pride, “She gets people. It’s not just that she’s a Betazoid, it’s like… she sees what people need. Sees what makes them more themselves.”

Kira smiled, “I guess that’s why she’s the one Starfleet sent, huh? Nothing but the best.”

Tasha rolled her eyes, saying nothing. Kira’s eyebrows rose higher.

“I get the feeling… you don’t agree with Starfleet sending you here,” Kira said slowly.

Tasha glanced over to meet Kira’s eyes as they walked, hesitating a moment before she answered. 

“Off the record, this whole thing seems more complicated than it needs to be. If they thought Counselor Dax was bad enough that she needed to be reassigned, they would have done it already. This is all just…” she waved a hand, pursing her lips in slight annoyance, “window dressing to make a few worried commanders shut up.”

Kira snorted, just barely biting back a laugh at Tasha’s candid assessment. (And internally she couldn’t help but sigh with relief at the comfort that there wasn’t actually any danger of Ezri getting taken away from the station.)

“You sound as much a fan of Starfleet command as Captain Sisko,” Kira said.

Tasha adjusted the straps of the bags she carried, smirking slightly, “Command and I have had our share of differences. This time, however,” she chuckled and shrugged her shoulders, “I think I’ll stay quiet about it. At least it gave me and Dee an excuse to take some time away and relax; we even dropped the kids off with their grandma.”

Kira’s eyebrows shot up and she laughed, “I hope you don’t mean Lwaxana…”

Tasha chuckled, looking at Kira, “Had the pleasure of meeting her, huh? I know she came to the station a few times, I understand you all helped her out a bit.”

Kira nodded, taking a slow breath as she tried to measure her words, “Lwaxana Troi is… a very intriguing woman. Very… loud.”

Tasha snorted and tossed her head back in laughter.

“Lwaxana Troi is the most eccentric, pushy, opinionated, _and_ loud-about-it woman I have ever met!” Tasha said, between chuckles, “So I _know_ you’re just trying to be nice.”

Kira looked at Tasha in surprise, “So you don’t get along with her?”

Tasha shook her head quickly, still smiling, “I never said that,” she countered, adding, in a sincere tone, “Granted, we didn’t at first. Lwaxana and I are very different people, but over time we’ve… had to figure out how to communicate.” She shrugged, chuckling, “But she _is_ great with the kids. They both love her, they think that she could hang the stars in the sky if she wanted to, and I don’t blame them. She loves spending time with them, practically dotes on them.”

Kira smiled at the way Tasha’s eyes grew soft when she talked about her children.

“What about your parents?” she asked.

It was obviously the wrong question, and Kira regretted asking it immediately. Tasha’s eyes cast downward, her shoulders subtly squaring as her back muscles tightened up, her jaw working as her brows drew together in the middle.

“Uh… I… never really knew them,” she said.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have assumed,” Kira said quickly, swallowing and looking away, herself.

Tasha inhaled a breath, “It’s fine. You didn’t…” she scoffed a little, a bare chuckle on the edge of her words, “Call me callous, but I honestly forget, sometimes, that people expect me to have parents. I was so young and… was on my own for so long…”

Kira nodded softly, her chest aching a little at the familiar chord Tasha’s words struck.

“When you only know one way, it’s hard to remember it’s not the norm,” Kira murmured.

It wasn’t an uncommon story on Bajor, that was for sure. Kira had barely known her mother. She hadn’t known her at _all_ growing up. She had spent her youth wondering what it would have been like to have that influence in her life, lots of other kids in the resistance had, too. But coming from a human woman? It seemed strange. As strange as Sisko somehow finding the only woman in the quadrant who knew what ‘baseball’ was.

Kira didn’t press, though. She quickly cleared her throat and changed the subject.

“So… two kids?” Kira asked, as they stepped to the side to allow some men hauling cargo to pass by them in the narrow corridor.

Tasha nodded, laughing, “Twins. I tried to convince Dee that we should name them ‘Jean’ and ‘Luke’ just to mess with Picard, but she wouldn’t hear of it,” she smiled, some of her previous relaxation returning to her posture, “Their names are Silia and Jayce.”

Kira smiled, shaking her head in awe at the way Tasha spoke so casually about ‘messing with’ _the_ Captain Picard of the Federation’s flagship. 

“So do they take after you or Counselor Troi or their grandmother?” Kira asked, mostly teasing.

Tasha grinned, shaking her head, “If I am _very_ lucky they’ll both take after Dee. But they both want to follow me into the training room and watch me punch and kick things, naturally, which has led to some… interesting days,” she laughed, sighing, “Six years old and already getting aikido lessons certainly makes them _sound_ like my kids.”

Kira raised her eyebrows, impressed, “Aikido, huh?”

That seemed an… odd skill for a Starfleet commander to have. Not totally out of the ordinary, but as far as Kira knew, most commanders these days left the fighting to other people.

Tasha looked at Kira, blinking in surprise, “Martial arts, yeah. Didn’t Worf ever mention practicing with me?”

Kira’s eyebrows raised higher and she laughed, “You have an awfully high expectation of Worf’s openness. Learning anything about that guy is like picking lilacs from the back of a rampaging sinoraptor.”

Tasha’s eyes narrowed and she shook her head, scoffing, “He’s probably just mad I swept the floor with him so many times. Afraid to hurt his mighty reputation.”

Kira stared at the woman a moment, “ _You_ beat Worf?”

Tasha laughed, “He had his share of wins, too! By the time I left Enterprise, we were pretty closely matched.”

Kira was more confused than ever, “Wait… What position did you have on Enterprise?”

Tasha stopped and stared back at Kira, clearly surprised.

“I was Chief of Security before Worf.”

Kira was almost certain that her eyebrows were gonna pop off her forehead and disappear into her hair with how high she was raising them, her mouth gaping at Tasha and her feet stopped fully in their tracks, no longer leading the way to the habitat ring as planned.

Kira’s lack of words seemed answer enough for Tasha, who seemed for a moment completely bewildered before she suddenly snorted. And then she giggled. And then she tossed her head back, letting a laugh escape her. And then she was leaning against the wall and clutching at her stomach as she doubled over, gasping for air between fits of hysterical laughter.

Kira started laughing too, shaking her head and saying, in an awestruck voice, “I thought Worf was just _quiet_ , I didn’t think he would just leave out entire _people_!”

Tasha clapped and pointed at Kira, still grinning widely, “Do you know how old he is?”

“No!” Kira exclaimed, laughing.

Tasha snorted again, putting her hands to her temples, “Neither did I! Not for _years_!”

Kira scoffed, “He’s always answering personal questions with nothing but cryptic one-liners!”

“He _never_ changes!” Tasha giggled, finally standing upright and wiping her face, shaking her head.

Kira chuckled and started to walk again, “Sounds like we’ll have to have a word with him…”

Tasha bobbed her eyebrows, “Sounds like it. What do you say we drop this stuff at my and Deanna’s guest quarters and then we go corner him.”

Kira grinned, “We can be there in five minutes if we rush.”

Tasha’s smile grew and she picked up the pace slightly, following Kira through the corridors.

Kira had… certainly not been expecting to meet a woman like Natasha Yar when the airlock door had opened. But she was pleasantly surprised.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all enjoyed the fic!! <3


End file.
